Spike.



J. N. LEBEL.

SPIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1915.

I mamm Patented Apia 3,1917.

WITNESS w Sep/Q 1 /17TORNEY$ JOSEPH N. LEBEL, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

$PIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed June 21, 1915. Serial No. 35,322.

To all whom it may conceam:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr N. LnBnL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of'Essex, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spikes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide a railway spike in which special means is embodied for locking the spike as it is driven home in a wooden tie; thus rendering it impossible for the spike to work loose by reason of the constant passage of heavy trains along the rails.

My invention is, however, of such a nature that the spike may be withdrawn from the tie if it should become necessary, or desirable to withdraw it, and this may be readily accomplished without injury to the spike which may then be used again if desired.

Briefly described my inventioncomprises a spike having slidably mounted thereon, or therein, a bar which has connected therewith one or more spurs that are folded into the spike proper while said spike is being driven into the tie but which (spurs) are forced outward, and lllllOl the tie, by the final act of driving the spike home in said tie.

For the purpose of explaining my invention more clearly I have provided the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spike embodying my present improvement. Fig. 2 is a front edge View of said spike with the retaining spurs drawn into the spike. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the spurs in their extended positions.

Fig. 4 is'a transverse sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side view of the spike showing the slide and spurs as they appear when the head of the slide is just about to engage, and be checked by, the foot of the traction rail. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the spike driven home, and the spurs forced outward into the wooden tie. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional View through the device.

Referring to these drawings, the letter a indicates the spike proper, the same being of the usual form excepting that it is channeled longitudinally in one of its sides, as at b,

to receive a bar 0 which is slidably mounted in said channel and is provided at its upper end with an angular enlargement cl which lies in a correspondingly shaped recess or chamber 6 in the head of the spike, as is clearly illustrated in the drawings.

The bar 0 has pivoted in, or otherwise interlocked with, its edge portions one or more spurs 9 whose free ends lie in holes 05 in the adjacent side walls of the spike proper so long as the bar 0 is slipped downward in the channel Z1 oi, in other words, during the operation of driving the spike nearly home in a tie. When, however, the spike is nearing its home position the angular end (Z of bar 0 engages the'ioot of the traction rail and is thus prevented from entering the wood farther.

Continued driving of the spike proper then results in forcing the points of the spurs g outward, through the holes a and into the wood where they serve as pawls or dowels to prevent the spike from working loose.

-Should it become necessary, or desirable, to remove the spike it can be accomplished by means of a special implement which will hold the bar 0! against endwise movement while the spike proper is started upward sufficiently to force the spurs back into the holes a; that is to say, so the points of the spurs will lie entirely within the spike. The spike and the attached bar 0 may then be readily withdrawn from the tie.

In order to prevent the accidental separation of the spike and bar 0 I preferably set the side wall of the spike inward so that it overlaps the edge of the bar 0 slightly, as seen at h in the drawings.

My described improved spike may be cheaply produced, it may be used precisely the same as the solid spikes now so commonly used, yet it will effectually prevent the working loose of such spikes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent A spike having a channel formed longitudinally of its shank, the head of said shank having a chamber formed therein and communicating with the upper end of the channel, the side Walls of the channel having vertically spaced openings formed therein, a bar slidable in the channel, the bottom of the channel being closed to limit the downward movement of the bar, an enlargement on the upper end of the bar for move- I ment into said chamber, spurs pivotally connected to the bar and movable in the openings, laterally bent ears carried by the side Walls of the channel for slidably engaging the bar to prevent accidental disengagement thereof from the channel.

JOSEPH N. LEBEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

